India had it all go their way on the opening day of the first Test match against Sri Lanka, and Virat Kohli and the rest will know if Day 2 can be a similar one, they will have this match in Galle in the bag.
On Wednesday, Ashwin bowled with outstanding control and poise to help skittle Sri Lanka out for just 183, before India's batsmen – Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli – put on a 100-run partnership to take their team to 128/2, with just 55 runs now separating the two sides.
India's plan on Day 2 will be simple – bat out the day and with it bat Sri Lanka out of the match. For that to happen, India will need big hundreds from two of Dhawan, Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane.
Dhawan (53, 103b, 6x4) and Kohli (45, 77b, 7x4) are already around halfway to the century mark, but one of them, if not both, not only need to get to that hundred, but make it a big one as well.
A score of around 400 is what India will have in mind if they want to harbour hopes of not wanting to bat again. They will also know that even if they get to that 400-mark, it doesn't guarantee them not having to bat again, because Sri Lanka, surely, will not bat as badly as they did in the first innings.
Sri Lanka will look to keep that India lead as low as possible, knowing fully well, a couple more wickets and they will be right into the iffy batsmen of this India team.
That is the risk India took by playing five bowlers, but Kohli also said it is about the batsmen doing their jobs. The job was pretty well done on Day 1, and now it is over to the batsmen to use that willow to good effect again on Thursday.
Sri Lanka will look to bowl a lot better than they did on Day 1. Plain and simple, they had a bad day on the field on Wednesday – the batting failed and the bowling wasn't penetrative enough.
Only Dhammika Prasad looked capable of picking up wickets, with Rangana Herath, much like Harbhajan Singh, parsimonious but ineffective, while Nuwan Pradeep and Tharindu Kaushal gave away too many boundary-balls.
The off-spinner Kaushal, in particular, needs to come to the fore on Day 2. The youngster showed glimpses of his talent, but getting that talent and combining it with consistency will be the key, if Sri Lanka are to pick up wickets in a heap on Day 2 of this 1st Test match.
Where to Watch Live
Get the Day 2 Live Score and Live Blog HERE
Sri Lanka vs India is scheduled to begin at 10 am local time (10 am IST, 5.30 am BST, 12.30 am ET). Sony Six and Sony Kix will show Day 2 of the Test match live in India, while the live streaming option is available on Livsports.
Viewers in Sri Lanka and the rest of the subcontinent can also catch the match action on Day 2 of this India vs Sri Lanka Test match on Sony Six.
Audience in the US, the ones carrying that large mug of coffee, can watch India vs Sri Lanka live on Willow TV, with the live stream option on Willow Online.
